This invention relates to the accumulation, stacking, and transporting of material in the form of thin sheets or signatures.
Many businesses produce large quantities of sheet-like material, much of which is discarded. For example, hospitals accumulate and discard used x-ray films in the form of loose, thin sheets which contain enough silver to be economically recovered, if the sheets can be handled efficiently. Computer printers process large numbers of paper sheets, many of which are also discarded. The paper sheets are of good quality and suitable for recycling, if they can be handled efficiently. The computer paper sheets are usually folded in accordion fashion, making it difficult to stack and handle sheets efficiently.
These and many other sheet-like products with potentially good salvage value are often inefficiently handled and, therefore, discarded without any attempt at economic recovery.